Electricity for the 4-H Scientist Part 17

Would you say that having enough to eat was pretty important in the home that you know?

The "food" for your appliances and lights is electricity, and like you they must be "fed" enough.

What to Do

1. List the appliances and lights in your home.

2. See if any of them are "starving" for the electricity they need.

3. Learn how the electricity gets to where it's used.

4. Make a chart of the electrical circuits in your home.

5. Make sure that each circuit is protected with the right fuse or circuit breaker.

Count Your Electrical Blessings

Many people in much of the rest of the world wish that they could trade places with us, because we have so many electrical appliances in our homes.

Of course, we have not always had as many appliances as there are today.

When electricity first came along, people used it only for lights. Then, they began to add flatirons, was.h.i.+ng machines, refrigerators, coffee percolators, and radios.

Then more and more electrical things were made for people to use and enjoy. Now we have dozens and dozens of uses for electricity in our homes.

How many different uses for electricity are there in your home today?

Ask your parents how many there were when your home was built or first wired. How many were _common_ when your parents began to keep house?

Some Homes Are Behind Times

Many older homes were built before electricity was available, and were wired later. And like them, some older homes that were wired as they were built had only enough wiring for lights and a few other appliances, because those were the only uses that were known at that time.

But people kept on living in these homes, and kept adding to the uses they made of electricity without adding to their wiring.

What has this meant? Well, if electricity were like cars and trucks, you could say that some people are trying to put turnpike traffic through a back-country dirt road!

Watch for Signs of Starvation

Of course, as your state has done with its highways, some people have expanded and modernized their wiring. But many others have not yet seen this need, or if they have, they may have to do it again.

Here's why:

Your power supplier delivers current to you at the right voltage or electrical pressure. If the wires in your house are large enough, they will pa.s.s this full voltage on to the appliances.

But if your wiring is too small, the electricity arrives at the appliances so weak that they can't work properly, and much of what you pay for is wasted.

Here are some things you can watch for in your own home. They will tell you whether your appliances are getting enough electrical "food" or not.

1. _A shrinking TV picture_--If it draws in from the sides of the screen, fades, loses contrast, or if the sound becomes distorted, you may have low voltage.

2. _Too much fuse blowing or circuit breaker tripping._

3. _Heating appliances are slow to do their jobs._

4. _Lights dimming_, when motors or other appliances are turned on.

There Should Be Enough Ways to Get "Appliance-Food" Around

If appliances in your home show these starvation signs, then you may not have enough ways for the electricity to get to where it's used.

There are three kinds of these electrical highways or circuits, and your home should have enough of each:

1. _General purpose circuits_--These serve lights all over the house, and convenience outlets everywhere except in the kitchen, laundry, and dining areas.

A rule-of-thumb is: There should be at least one general purpose circuit for each 500 sq. ft. of floor s.p.a.ce.

2. _Small appliance circuits_--These are not used for lights, but instead they supply convenience outlets in the kitchen, laundry, and dining areas where portable appliances are most used.

Every home should have at least two small-appliance circuits.

3. _Individual or special-purpose circuits_--One of these is needed for each: electric range, dishwasher, water heater, freezer, automatic washer, clothes dryer, air conditioner, pump, and house heating equipment.

+----------+------+------+------+------+-------+ | | | | | | | | Actual | | | | | | | Size | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+-------+ | Gauge | | | | | | | Size | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | +----------+------+------+------+------+-------+ | Fuse or | | | | | | | Breaker | 15 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 55 | +----------+------+------+------+------+-------+ |Max. Watts| | | | | | |at 115 V. | 1725 | 2300 | 3450 | 4600 | 6325 | +----------+------+------+------+------+-------+ |Max. Watts| | | | | | |at 230 V. | 3450 | 4600 | 6900 | 9200 | 12750 | +----------+------+------+------+------+-------+

[Ill.u.s.tration: Wire sizes commonly used in homes]

Each Circuit Big Enough

The capacity of each circuit is limited by the size of its wires. The chart above shows you the actual sizes of wires commonly used in permanent home wiring, and what each will carry. Notice that each size is given a number, and the smaller the number, the bigger the wire.

Also notice that a given size of wire will carry twice as many watts at 230 volts as it will at 115 volts. (Watts are figured by multiplying amps times volts.)

General purpose circuits usually are either Number 14 or Number 12 wire, at 115 volts. What is the capacity of each, in watts? (Number 12 wire is recommended for all new general purpose circuits.)

Small appliance circuits are required to be at least Number 12 wire.

Individual circuits are always sized according to the appliance they serve. Find the size wire that should be used for a 10, 000-watt, 230-volt range; a 1500-watt, 115-volt dishwasher; a 4500-watt, 230-volt clothes dryer. ________ ________ ________

Only One Fuse Size Right

A fuse in an electrical circuit is like an alert traffic policeman--stopping everything if there's danger. A circuit breaker serves the same purpose, and the right size is installed when the wiring is done.